


Flying Again

by Miniravi



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Wings, Amputation, Fear of Flying, Flying, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Wingfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-02-12 23:51:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12971127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miniravi/pseuds/Miniravi
Summary: Since an accident five years ago Tony Stark hasn't been able to fly. Now he takes the important step to do so again.





	Flying Again

**Author's Note:**

> This very short story is inspired by an awesome fanart from @hello-shellhead on Tumblr. I really like it, so I couldn't resist from writing this.  
> Link to the fanart:  
> http://hello-shellhead.tumblr.com/post/167599859081/tony-standing-on-a-cliff-contemplating-whether-he

It had been five years and Tony Stark was done. Done with people, done with the society he was living in, but mostly he was done with himself. He was an abomination, a freak and he couldn't do anything to change that fact. Until now.  
Since an horrible accident five years ago, where he had lost his ability to fly he hadn't had a more desperate wish than to do so again.  
Shrapnel shards had embedded themselves in his chest and right wing, slowly wandering towards his heart, destroying his flight muscles in the process, resulting in his right wing becoming limp. To save his life he had created the arc reactor and had his wing amputated.  
The staring in public was bad. But the whispers and rumors were worse. The thought that he would never fly again left him with many sleepless nights and for a long time alcohol was his only friend. He had isolated himself, didn't leave his mansion, pushed away his friends and drowned in self-hatred.   
It was then that he realized that it was his own fault. It were his weapons that killed thousands of people in other countries and then nearly took his own life.   
This and his invention of the arc-reactor made him switch Stark Industries to clean energy and technological stuff instead of weapons.  
But it still didn't get him his wing back.  
For a while he considered also amputating his left one, but the thought of being completely wingless scared him even more.  
It was JARVIS who first dropped the idea of a mechanical wing prosthesis one year ago.   
At first Tony refused completely and deleted the prototype blueprint off JARVIS' hard-drive, but the idea stuck.  
One week and a rather vivid dream of him flying again later, Tony locked himself in his workroom and didn't emerge for 72 hours, sleep deprived but determined.   
Nearly two weeks ago Tony was finished, on the workstation infront of him lay a red and gold colored, mechanical wing. He had used a rather light but sturdy metal and covered it with an anti-corrosion paint. The wing was a bit smaller than his left one, but if he had made it bigger it wouldn't be as agile as it is now. To compensate that, he integrated two stabilizers in the joints.   
He waited two weeks after finishing the wing because of bad weather, but mostly because he was scared. He knew it would work, but still what if it didn't? What if this one year of work was absolutely pointless? He'd probably give up completely.   
Right now he was standing on a cliff, staring into the slowly progressing sunset. It was time.   
Taking a deep breath Tony makes a small step forward, now standing right on the egde of the cliff. The wind ruffles through his feathers, his left wing spreading eagerly almost as if it has its own mind. As Tony looks down were violent waves crash against the cliff, his breath gets caught in his throat. If he fails, he dies. The ground which felt so wrong these past five years, now feels almost supporting and Tony nearly can't take it. He so desperately wants to fly again, but he realizes now, that he is afraid of failing. He doesn't want to inevitably fall.   
When he finally rips his gaze from the bottom of the cliff and looks to his right he notices the mechanical wing also being spread, mimicking the position of his left one. Just as he programmed it. So it works, huh? He didn't make any mistakes and JARVIS is always with him, able to initiate one of the emergency programs if necessary. Right. He took precautions. He can't fail.  
With that in his mind Tony leans forward and finally let's himself fall. He slightly tucks in his wing and as he progresses down he carefully expands the primary feathers to slow his fall, thrilled at how smoothly the mechanical wing follows the movements. A few meters above the water he finally snaps open his wings completely to catch his fall and he can feel the stabilizers balancing his weight and then he glides smoothly above the waves.   
Tony feels like laughing, but what escapes his lips is a broken sob as he feels his eyes watering not only from the wind. The relief that fills him up instead of that cold, dry hatred is nearly too much for him, so he just screams it into the oncoming wind that rips it right off his lips. Tony catches himself using warm air to soar up into the sky and he feels like he is about to burst from euphoria.  
He did it.  
He is flying again.


End file.
